


Bruises

by bansheee



Series: Chicks Before Broomsticks [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Battle of Hogwarts, Community: HPFT, First Kiss, Kid Fic, M/M, Minor Violence, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-21
Updated: 2016-04-21
Packaged: 2018-06-03 13:09:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,337
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6611791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bansheee/pseuds/bansheee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>These bruises make for better conversations.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bruises

**Author's Note:**

  * For [StellaBlue](https://archiveofourown.org/users/StellaBlue/gifts).



> The children in the second half of this story are Dean and Seamus' kids in my larger story, Chicks Before Broomsticks, which will be posted here soon.

Seamus was ecstatic. Relieved. Overjoyed. Hell, he was downright grinning, even though the purplish welt on his cheek was giving a throbbing protest. The motion felt foreign to his expression; there hadn’t been much time to smile since Dumbledore’s Army had taken to living in the Room of Requirement.  
  
They’d been set up in the room for a few months, and had made the group decision to stay permanently a few days ago. There wasn’t really ever a _good_ point during Seamus’ seventh year – if one could even call it a school year – at Hogwarts, but things had certainly taken a turn for the worst to force the D.A. into permanent hiding.  
  
The small bathroom mirror that the Room of Requirement provided showed Seamus that his face was actually healing, but he still hardly recognized himself in his reflection. He’d lost weight, mostly due to the dreary selection of food, and partially due to his jaw being swollen on several occasions.  
  
There hadn’t been very many moments to smile between hiding behind a curtain to clean yourself, Aberforth’s cooking, and sleeping in a hammock for months straight. Seamus could only think of one particular night, when he and Neville received a message from Luna; Seamus had gotten his first word on Dean since he didn’t show up to the Hogwarts Express on September first.  
  
But, cheek and jaw be damned, Seamus was elated because Harry Potter had just walked into the Room of Requirement. Harry, Ron and Hermione were at Hogwarts. There were only a few seconds of shocked silence before the common room erupted into cheers of joy.  
  
Seamus felt himself get pushed forward with the crowd of D.A. members, and watched the crowd greet his fellow Gryffindors. He didn’t specifically greet any of the three, but it didn’t seem to matter as Harry quickly started asking questions.  
  
As he listened to Neville explain to the trio where they were in the castle and what they were doing, Seamus added in his own compliments towards Neville’s hard work – with the added benefit of Harry’s reaction to the state of his face – and what had been going on at Hogwarts. He watched as the three Gryffindors’ tired expressions slowly turned horrified at the stories of what Hogwarts had become.  
  
He tried to ignore the question his mind was screaming at him. He knew Neville had heard from Luna that she and Dean had gotten taken, and had escaped thanks to an elf, but he hadn’t heard anything from Dean before, or after the one moment. It put a hitch in his happiness that he didn’t expect. Like a bitter _but_ at the end of a halfhearted apology, Seamus still didn’t have Dean there with him and safe.  
  
The conversation with Harry shifted from what was happening at the school, to what Harry, Ron and Hermione were up to the past months, and Seamus tried to push the sudden emptiness he felt away by asking what Harry’s plan was. The whole D.A. – Seamus included – went quiet as Harry stuttered through an explanation of why he, Ron, and Hermione couldn’t include them in the next step of his quest.  
  
Seamus added in his own comments wherever he could fit in; he joined in the enthusiastic protest to finally have something to do besides sit and hide. He, as well as Neville, knew that the outbursts in class and the talking back weren’t getting them anywhere lately; they could only irritate the Carrows so much before they just started to get ignored, or beaten to the point of being hospitalized, like Michael Corner had been. They were losing Hogwarts, and Harry was holding back what seemed to be the only glimmer of hope to win it back against You-Know-Who’s forces.  
  
Harry had started another apology, but his sentence was cut off by the tunnel passage opening again. The room quieted just as it had done when Harry, Ron, and Hermione had arrived, and they waited with baited breath as more people came though.  
  
Distracted for a moment by disbelief, Seamus didn’t know if a noise actually escaped his mouth or not, before he pushed through the crowd and towards Dean. There was a small protest from one of the younger Hufflepuffs as Seamus fought his way towards the portrait hole, but he ignored the girl as he reached Dean and embraced him.  
  
“Bloody hell, Seamus!” Dean’s voice was full of surprise and delight as he returned Seamus’ hug. His face was throbbing from smiling, but Seamus felt a whole new level of joy as he gripped the dirty fabric of Dean’s shirt and pulled him close.  
  
Dean was the first to speak when the two pulled back. “What the hell happened to you?” he asked as he brought his hand up to Seamus’ face.  
  
Seamus winced and shut his eyes as Dean’s fingers feathered over his cheekbones. “It’s nothing,” Seamus replied, reassurance coming out softer than he intended. Opening his eyes back up, he looked up to Dean. Time felt like it stopped as Dean’s hand lingered next to his cheek. When Seamus dropped his glance to them, Dean quickly dropped his hand.  
  
The shift from enthusiastic volunteering to irritated protests from the Dumbledore’s Army members had both Seamus and Dean dropping eye contact and turning back towards Harry. Harry was beyond uncomfortable as he argued back.  
  
As Dean piped up next to him, excited to fight, Seamus felt the knuckles of their hands brush together. A jolt ran through his arm and to his heart, and as scared as he felt, he pressed his hand closer. What kind of a Gryffindor would he be to back down now? Having Dean back next to him wasn’t something he was ready to let go of quite yet.  
  
Eventually, the D.A. wore down Harry, and he and Luna left for the Ravenclaw common room.  
  
“It’s not nothing,” Dean said, and Seamus turned to see him looking at Seamus’ cheek again. Seamus furrowed his eyebrows, and Dean nodded towards the discoloration. “It’s proof that you’re a fighter. That we’re not going to give up; that we’re going to win this.”  
  
Seamus felt his heart lurch in his chest as he looked up to Dean. That time stopping feeling hit him again as Seamus watched Dean’s expression go from motivational determination, to a quiet surprise. All the nights that Seamus sat awake missing Dean flashed through his mind as he watched Dean take in a breath of air.  
  
“Seamus—”  
  
At the drop of volume in Dean’s voice, Seamus’ heartbeat picked up. He felt his palms grow hot as Dean looked to him; as Dean looked right through him.  
  
It was only after Dean leaned down and touched their lips together that Seamus connect all of the dots in front of him. He remembered the devastated jealousy he felt when Dean made it on to the Gryffindor team and he didn’t; the passive bitterness in his cut off replies when Dean told him about Ginny. His hidden, elated relief when the pair called it quits. He remembered the sleepless nights in the shitty hammocks, wondering if he’d ever even see his friend again; wondering if he’d ever get the chance to see Dean again. Chaste and soft, Seamus pressed back.  
  
Even as Dean pressed his fingers to Seamus’ neck, careful to avoid the newly healing skin, and let out a small noise of relief when Seamus kissed back, Seamus remembered all of the times a cauldron had blown up in his face, and the entertained laughter it always caused Dean to make. He remembered a particular Charms lesson his sixth year, when he purposely exploded a glass of vinegar, just to hear the boy’s delighted amusement.  
  
Realizing he’d closed his eyes a second time, Seamus opened them as he pulled back. They were both breathing heavy, oblivious to their chaotic surroundings.  
  
“Seamus, I—”  
  
“Dean?” Seamus and Dean both dropped their hands from each other in surprise at the high pitched voice. Guiltily, they both took a step apart and turned to see Luna looking at them curiously.  
  
“Luna!” Dean said fake-enthusiastically. “When did you get back?” Seamus stared at the girl, who was smiling obliviously, as if she hadn’t just witnessed the pair sharing unspoken confessions.  
  
“Just a moment ago,” Luna replied. “I found a wand for you. It won’t work as well as your old one, but I suspect it’ll do just fine.” She reached behind her ear and tugged two wands out. Handing him the one that wasn’t hers, she smiled again.  
  
“Ah, thanks Luna,” Dean muttered, accepting the piece of wood. “Erm—” Seamus watched as Dean looked between the two of them, and back to Luna. When the girl just smiled again and skipped off, Seamus caught Dean’s grin, and matched it.  
  
“Me too,” Seamus muttered so only Dean could hear.  
  
Even before Voldemort’s announcement that night, before the deaths and the sufferings, Seamus and Dean got something new to fight for.  
  
*  
  
Seamus was in pain. As well as a horribly bruised ego, his cheek was throbbing and his eyes were swelling with wetness. In the background he could hear his three year old daughter’s quiet sniffles, and the sound of her older brother comforting her tears.  
  
Seamus sat on the tiny counter of the bathroom and clenched his jaw to bite back the wetness, only to realize what a monumentally stupid idea it was, as it throbbed in a new wave of pain. A gasped profanity escaped his lips, making Dean turn around.  
  
“Remember when we decided we weren’t going to curse in front of them?”  
  
Seamus narrowed his eyes at his husband. “Our three year old daughter just _threw_ a bloody Bludger at me.”  
  
“It was a toy Bludger,” Dean replied, chuckling.  
  
Seamus rolled his eyes and hopped off of the counter. As he opened his mouth to dismiss Dean and to find something to elevate some of the pain, Dean stepped in front of him and pressed his hands to the counter, trapping him.  
  
“I’m sorry,” Dean muttered.  
  
“Yeah,” Seamus grunted back. When Dean’s smile faltered Seamus let his frown soften. “Sorry I swore in front of Hollie and Sean. And in here.”  
  
Dean let out a small _hem_ and lifted his hand to Seamus’ cheek. “It’s going to bruise.”  
  
“Bloody wonderful,” Seamus muttered, turning towards the mirror. He eyed the red mark on his cheek before glancing up to look at Dean’s reflection.  
  
“We have a Quidditch star in the making,” Dean said, giving a small smile. Seamus couldn’t help but return it through their reflection in the mirror.  
  
“Let’s just get her out of nappies first,” Seamus replied, finally smiling. He winced when the pain flared up again.  
  
At his discomfort, Dean set to work digging through their cabinets to find a pain stopping potion. When he caught Seamus looking up at him, he glanced down and smiled. Out of the corner of his eye, Seamus watched as Dean wrapped his fingers around the small vial, and closes his eyes when Dean leaned in and pressed a kiss to his forehead.  
  
Seamus took the potion like a shot in a feeble attempt not to taste it. Somehow the pre-made potions tasted worse than the already unappealing freshly-brewed ones, so Seamus grimaced when he still tasted the vile liquid. However, he looked past the taste when the pressure in his cheek bone started to fade.  
  
“Better?” Dean asked, a hint of amusement dancing in his tone.  
  
“How’s Hollie?” Seamus asked. They both quieted for a moment to listen into the next room. Faintly, they could hear her giggles filling the house at the sounds of _Babbitty Rabbitty_ being read – again – in an overly exaggerated fashion by her brother.  
  
Seamus turned back to Dean. The difference in their height was something that Seamus had gotten over in the years of being together, and as he looked up to Dean still crowding him to the sink, he grinned.  
  
Seemingly reading Seamus’ mind, Dean dipped down and pressed their lips together. Dean’s hands gripped the counter as Seamus slid his own to his husband’s waist and pulled him closer. In retaliation, Dean slid his hands up Seamus’ waist and lifted him onto the counter. Now at equal height, Seamus pulled Dean closer and wrapped his arms around Dean’s shoulders.  
  
Memories flashed of the first few months after the Battle of Hogwarts, how they both believed their first kiss had been a heat of the moment blunder. How heartbroken they both had been, thinking they’d ruined their friendship by a stupid mistaken moment.  
  
He remembered the day Dean had showed up at his parent’s house, weeks after they’d stopped speaking, and how they decided just to _try_. He smiled as he thought of their first few tentative kisses, how their friendship took a step forward that they both knew they’d never want to go back from.  
  
As Dean tugged him towards the edge of the counter and pressed his hips closer, Seamus felt a small noise grow in the back of his throat. Driven on by the groan, Dean dragged his fingers along the hem of Seamus’ shirt.  
  
A knock on the door made Dean hastily jump back. “Papa?” their son’s tentative voice followed.  
  
Wiping off his reddened mouth, Dean rasped out, “What, Sean?” Seamus grinned as Dean cleared his throat.  
  
It was Hollie’s voice that replied. “Can we have two cookies _each_ since Daddy said a bad word?”  
  
“You can have one cookie each,” Seamus called through the door, taking a shaky breath. Both of their kids sighed, but rushed footsteps told them that the two had ran off to the kitchen to take what they could get.  
  
Seamus turned to Dean to see him smiling and lifting his hand. Potion taking effect, Seamus leaned his cheek into Dean’s touch and shut his eyes. When he felt Dean laugh, he too chuckled softly to himself.  
  
No matter what kind of bruises happened, Seamus would always have Dean.

**Author's Note:**

> Babbitty Rabbitty and her Cackling Stump belongs to J.K. Rowling, as does Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows; specifically chapter twenty-nine, The Lost Diadem (American Edition: pages 571-588) which the first half of this story was loosely modeled after. 
> 
> The title, summary, and chapter summary of this story come from the song Bruises, written and owned by Train. 
> 
> This story is also posted on HPFF.com under the penname banshee.


End file.
